Persevere
by Random One-Shot
Summary: So, there’s this guy and he’s kind of my friend, except not really, because he scares the living daylights outta me sometimes.


_Written as another perspective in a story I'm working the kinks out of. Basically, it's yet another Ocarina of Time re-write with Sheik as his own character. Been done to death, I know. Still, one cannot ignore the hopping of the plot bunnies when they invade your head. _

_This is set some time after completing the Fire Temple trials and freeing the Gorons. Sheik is finally starting to loosen up around Link and Navi, whereas before he was a frigid jerk with the emotional depth of a puddle. Link and Navi are also beginning to get used to his don't-touch-me attitude and are now more prone to wondering what caused it then just getting irritated by it. _

_So, because Navi is a talking ball of light and I don't have a clue what goes on in her head, here's Link's take on his silent, deadly stalker – I mean, ally. _

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**Title:** _Persevere_

_**Rating: **__K+ _

_**Summary:**__ So, there's this guy and he's kind of my friend, except not really, because he scares the living daylights outta me sometimes._

* * *

There are, I think, two kinds of friends.

There are the ones who would help you with anything, go with you anywhere, and no matter how much they might complain or nag, they'd never leave you.

Next to them are the friends you never have any real connection to. You're just two people who happen know each other. Hey, how are you? Doing well? I heard Mido tripped over a gopher's hole yesterday. Yeah, ha ha ha, I know. Bye now.

I've been walking, riding, fighting, hunting, scouting, bathing, eating and sleeping with Sheik for about two months now, and I still kind of feel like we're the second kind of friends. Actually, we might be worse off than that, because I can't even get him past 'how are you?' most days.

I'm not really sure why. Sometimes I think it's because of Sheik himself and sometimes it feels like my fault – like I'm pushing too hard for it, or something.

You see, we're kind of stuck together for the foreseeable future, so I think it's important to like this guy who's going to be around me almost constantly. We'd probably wind up killing each other otherwise, right? Right. Only, I don't think that Sheik thinks that, because he's never once even tried to talk to me beyond to responding to something I said or to give me a warning or a lecture on something I was about to do (most often, something wrong).

Avoiding a really long story, I've been asleep or comatose or something like that for about seven years, and Hyrule has changed a _lot_ since then. This really evil man – Ganondorf Dragmire – has pretty much twisted this land out of the state I remember it being in. Everything that was green and alive seems brown and dead now. A lot of people, whole races, are suffering because of what he's doing. The guy is seriously bad news. The good news is I'm around to stop him now.

I'm the Hero of Time, you see. Saving stuff is supposed to come naturally to people with titles like mine.

Anyway, to make sure I didn't get myself killed before I could save Hyrule, Princess Zelda sent me one of her two remaining Sheikah to act as a bodyguard/guide/whatever I needed for the duration of my journey. Sheik's basically been teaching me how to defend myself in this suddenly scary world.

Now, don't get me wrong, he's a good teacher. In fact, he's a _great_ teacher. Okay, he's actually the first teacher I ever had when it comes to this stuff, but hey, I'm not being biased. When I was little, I had to learn to fight by fighting and it worked out pretty well for me all thing considered, but I also gained a lot of bad habits. One good thing (according to Sheik) about suddenly having a brand new body is that the muscle memory isn't set in yet. I'm not too sure what that means, but it sounds okay. So, he's been teaching me how to fight through practice battles and things he calls kata. He also lectures me on monsters and animals, telling me their habits and hunting methods. He wants me to think about how to win a fight before I ever get into it. I told him that I'd never done that before and he said it was a miracle I'd survived so long.

That isn't the only stuff he does for me. Ganondorf has spies everywhere and another one of Sheik's jobs is to keep us hidden. I've been smuggled through a checkpoint in a cart, floated downriver in a barrel and pretended to Sheik's older brother when he pulled on a dress.

I just about died of laughter once that one was over. Sheik _didn't._

He's introduced me to the resistance movement, which is a small group of people dedicated to removing Ganondorf from the throne and getting Zelda back up on it. I guess there were more of them a long time ago, but there aren't so many now. The ones I have met are pretty nice, though. Once Sheik said a few of his passwords, they opened up their doors to us with no questions. Well, there were a few questions, but Sheik took care of that too. It's pretty important that we stay hidden. There's only one Hero of Time and the Sheikah aren't exactly numerous either. If either one of us gets spotted and caught or killed, there are going to be some major problems. It's easy enough to get out of my green clothes and have Navi hide in my hat, but Sheik's pulled on a blindfold and pretended to be my crippled friend or relative more times than I care to count. Most Hylians don't know much about the Sheikah, but everyone knows about the eyes.

So, he keeps me hidden and he teaches me how to fight. Have I mentioned that he's also my compass? I kind of knew about the Forest Temple – I mean, I did grow up a Kokiri – but I don't think I'd have ever found the Fire Temple without his help; at least, not soon enough to save Darunia and the other Gorons. When I asked him how he knew about the Temples, he said it was part of his instruction when he was learning how to be a Sheikah warrior. 'There is no such thing as useless knowledge', as he says it. He knows a _lot_ of stuff; stuff I can't make sense of unless he explains it and stuff I'd heard years ago and forgotten, but that he can recite like a poem. It's like he carries a giant book with everything he's ever heard around with him.

I'm good with puzzles. I mean, I wouldn't even be in this situation if I wasn't, but Sheik makes me look like an idiot most of the time.

So, altogether, yeah, Sheik's a useful guy to have around.

The thing is, my _sword_ is a useful thing to have around. So is my shield and so is my bow.

I might need Sheik to be useful, but I want him to be pleasant.

The guy hardly ever talks. When he finally does, it can startle me pretty badly. It's the same thing with how he moves. After killing the curse inside the Great Deku Tree, I learned to watch my surroundings. I'd get hurt if I didn't pay attention in a dangerous place, you know? Well, Sheik just sort of slides underneath my awareness. I forget he's there, Navi forgets he's there, and then suddenly I'll turn around and he's not leaning against the wall or waiting by the door anymore. He's _right there_ and it scares the living daylights outta me, because I didn't hear him move.

Oh yeah, and speaking of awareness, his never lets up. _That_ is pretty creepy. Kaepora Gaebora had the same kind of stare, but at least I could see him blink. I don't think Sheik does. Maybe it's a Sheikah thing, I don't know. I'm pretty sure I remember Impa blinking, though. Maybe it wouldn't bother me so much if his eyes weren't red. Almost all of the monsters I've fought had red eyes and seeing them on someone who doesn't have scales or fangs is really unsettling sometimes.

Now, take all of those things – the silence, the stealth, the creepy factor, the unspoken rule of don't-touch-me-and-you-will-keep-breathing – toss them into a person and ask yourself: is this someone I want to spend time with?

No, probably not.

Horrible of me, right? It's the truth, though. If it weren't for the circumstances, I'd probably never be trying to get to know Sheik like I am. For the first week that I knew him, he didn't just creep me out; he absolutely frightened me. The first time we met in the Temple of Time, I honestly thought he was going to kill me. He didn't threaten me, didn't draw his knives, didn't do anything as a matter of fact: that was what scared me. He wasn't looking _at_ me, he was looking _through_ me. He was taking in every little aspect of me that showed itself in my clothes, my stance, my face and my voice, weighing it against something and seeing that I was coming up short.

He didn't look at me like I was a person. 'I have been waiting for you, Hero of Time', was what he said.

He didn't act like _he_ was a person, which was a lot scarier. There wasn't any worry or fear or excitement or _anything_ in his voice when he explained that we needed to leave the castle market before something came along to kill us.

Well, to kill me. I'm pretty sure Sheik could have gotten himself out just fine, but I was a mess. My muscles were weak, I had no coordination and I was so confused it wasn't even funny. Sheik was half dragging me behind him when he led me out.

The next few days were worse. He started teaching me how to fight in my adult body as soon as possible and that meant the very night after I left the Temple of Time. I was scared, confused and angry, and he seemed to really hate me for some reason. The training session, such as it was, ended with me crying and bleeding all over the dirt, and Sheik staring down at me in total disgust. It wasn't until the third night that things start to melt between us. He lightened up a bit and got to work with strengthening my muscles before he smacked me around.

You learn really fast when you have Sheik for a teacher. I'm a few inches taller than him and at least fifteen pounds heavier, but as far as flat out nastiness goes, he's got me beat. He can break me over his knee like a stick any time he feels like taking two minutes out of his day. I eventually stopped trying to beat him and just focused on staying on my feet, and things got a little easier. He spent about a month getting me back into fighting shape and then took me to the Forest Temple.

Those aren't happy memories, so I'm just going to skim over them.

We found the Temple, destroyed the guardian Ganondorf had created, awakened Saria to the Sacred Realm's call and took the first big step towards saving Hyrule. Now, you'd think that going through something like that would bring two people closer, yes? It worked for Navi and me in the Great Deku Tree, didn't it? Well, it didn't with Sheik. I had a much healthier respect for his ability to make things die, but that was it. He was still as closed up as a Deku nut.

We spent a few weeks hiding out until it was safe to move again and then headed back to Kakariko Village to move on to Death Mountain. We really should have gone sooner, because in the three weeks since I'd killed his phantom, Ganondorf had gotten worried and decided to resurrect an ancient Goron-eating dragon named Volvagia. After tossing almost every Goron still alive into the Fire Temple as an offering, he sat back and waited for Death Mountain to pop. I guess he wasn't worried about his castle going up in flames, but then again, it _was_ floating on top of a lava pool last time I checked.

So, Sheik, Navi and I went up to deal with that little problem. We killed the dragon, saved the Goron race and got Darunia to accept the position of the Fire Sage. Even better, I got a neat new toy called the Megaton Hammer that could flatten just about anything.

The best thing though? Sheik _finally_ had an actual conversation with me.

He apologized for his behavior and said that he finally recognized that I really would save Hyrule. He said he was angry at me at first because of how weak I'd seemed. A lot of people had been suffering for seven years while I was locked away in safety and Sheik was one of them. When the Hero of Time turned out to be an uncoordinated, frightened teenager, he was a little upset.

Wow, Sheik has feelings. Who knew?

Seriously though, it was great. For the first time in almost two months, Sheik wasn't tense or ready to draw those knives of his. He looked human for once. It was a nice change from the monotone shadow I'd been working with.

So now I'm wondering how I can keep him like this. He's closed himself off again since that conversation, even if things aren't nearly as frigid or tense between us as they were, and I don't want that. After everything we've been through together, I want this guy to be my friend.

I don't _need_ it, you understand, but I _want_ it.

If the Great Deku Tree thought that I could have done my job all alone, I'd never have met Navi. He was right, too. She's saved my hide more times than I can count. As annoying as she is, there were times when just knowing that she was around to encourage me and talk to me was all that kept me from breaking apart into pieces. You can't _do_ something like save the known world by yourself. You just _can't_.

So, I want another friend by my side; someone who can do more than just point out weak spots. I want someone who can actually hit those weak spots alongside me. It's incredibly reassuring to know that I have Sheik watching my back. Like I said, the guy is _good_ at making things die.

The problem is letting him know this. I've tried flat out telling him, but he just gives me this fish-eyed look I've gotten from some of my catches in Lake Hylia when I was little. He understands what I'm saying, but I don't think he _gets_ it.

I'm starting to think he doesn't have any friends, because I've never, _ever_ seen him relax around anyone. He keeps his interactions short and simple, and never says anything more or less than what politeness requires him too. A lot of the time he comes very close to being rude, but only just barely falls short of it. I'm pretty sure he doesn't mean to, it's just that he doesn't know how he _should_ act. I'm not one to talk about social idiocy, just so you know. I'm a Kokiri raised Hylian and I was the village outcast to boot. A lot of the time I don't understand what the people around me are talking about or how I should react to what they say, but I can at least empathize with them. Either Sheik doesn't let himself or he flat out can't.

That seems to be the root of the problem, now that I think about it. If I'm a social idiot, then Sheik must be a complete retard by comparison.

Um, wait. That's not what I mean. Well, okay, it is, but….

…Look, don't tell him I said this, okay?

Wording aside, that is it, I think. If Impa, Sheik and that Lazde girl are really the last of the Sheikah, then they wouldn't have had many people to talk to. The Sheikah were supposed to be this half-mythical race and only a very few people knew that Impa wasn't the last one until Ganondorf attacked. As far as I know, they really are down to three now. Being the last of your kind probably doesn't make you a very cheerful person, huh?

He probably hasn't had many Hylians he could open up to. Maybe Zelda, if he spent some time guarding her, but who else? I don't know much about them, but I do know that the Sheikah gave their lives to the royal family. With all the danger Zelda's been in for the last seven years, would he have given a thought to anyone else? To anything else? From what I've seen of him so far, I don't think so. The guy is absolutely driven. Even I can see that he puts his duty before anything else.

So, how do I get this socially retarded, duty driven, close-mouthed Sheikah to be my friend? Honestly, I don't know. I've tried telling him he can open up to me, I've tried showing him that he can trust me and neither of them worked. All that's left for me to do is just keep trying until I find something that does get through to him.

Oh well. No hurry, I guess. After all, we've still got three more Temples to purify and then whatever we need to do to get to Ganondorf himself. I can work with that time limit. Navi will help me, I'm sure. You will too, won't you? I mean, he likes you well enough. Between the three of us, he doesn't stand a chance.

I told you he's like a Deku nut, right? Well, I'm a forest kid where it counts and I've cracked more Deku nuts then you'd believe. One more won't be too hard and I swear, I'll have the real Sheik out of his shell in no time.

Oh, speaking of Sheik….

This conversation never happened, okay? Act natural!

* * *

I stepped back into the faint circle of light cast by the fire and witnessed Link nervously patting Epona on the nose while he grinned in a way that I knew meant he'd done something foolish.

"What happened?" I asked him.

If anything, he only smiled wider.

"Ah, nothing much. Just did some thinking with Epona here," Link said, giving the aforementioned mare an affectionate rub.

Then why was he twitching as though he had the Triforce in his pocket?

"Of course," I said, making sure to draw the words out. Hylians are, as a general rule, absolutely oblivious to the subtleties of body language and tone that I was raised on and Link was no exception. What would be the conversational equivalent of hitting Impa over the head only barely registered to him.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "No, really! We just had a nice conversation while you were gone. Well, I did, anyway. Epona just sort of listened while I talked."

"Indeed," I replied.

There really wasn't a correct response to that sort of thing. Who has a conversation with a horse? Apparently, the Hero of Time.

"So, what'd you find tonight?" Link asked, finally helping me unload my catch.

"Merely rabbits and an owl. The monsters of the area seem to have picked most of the wildlife off."

"Think they'll go after us?"

"That goes without saying, Hero."

"Would it kill you to use my name?"

"Possibly."

"…That was a _joke_, Sheik."

"I find nothing humorous in the thought of death by a slip of the tongue."

"…_forget Ganondorf. You're the real challenge here…." _

I frowned beneath my cowl and glanced over at him.

"Hero, did you say something?"

"Who, me? Nah."

You see how he can be rather vexing at times, can he not?


End file.
